


Mistakes, Love and Everything in Between

by Addison



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Disability, Drunk Driving, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-15 09:09:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3441518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Addison/pseuds/Addison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam and Louis don't get along despite living next to each other for years and sharing mutual friends. Until one night when Louis makes a huge mistake that Liam pays dearly for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistakes, Love and Everything in Between

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This was written purely for fun. No harm meant in any of this.  
> 2\. I haven't written a fic in a long time so apologies in advance. Especially for the lack of coherent narrative.  
> 3\. I learned a mix of American and British English and I am currently studying in the UK so sorry for the mixed slang, if any.

_You can get in the car or you can walk home. Either way, I don’t care._

_Will you stop whining? It’ll be fine._

The words echo in his ears; mocking him for one of the stupidest, worse mistakes he had ever made in his life.

Louis stood, shirtless, in front of the full-length mirror in his room, examining himself. The huge scar on the left side of his face was healing up nicely. The bruises all over his body had already begun to fade though they were still tender.

His left arm was still in a sling. He runs a finger lightly over the cast which had been signed and doodled on by all his friends who had came to see him when he was released from the hospital. He would be returning to school tomorrow and despite himself, he’s actually happy to get back to class; anything to take his mind off what happened.

He looks outside to the window facing his; Liam’s room. There’s a tree standing between the two room; a huge, old but sturdy thing. Not tall enough to block his view though. The curtains of Liam’s room are drawn. It was well pass ten in the morning and he usually left them open in the daytime.

Louis’ heart clenches and there’s a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Bringing his good arm up, he rubs the back of his neck and shut his eyes tightly. He remembered the blinding light, the impact, the screaming, every single moment. It was impossible to forget, no matter how hard he tries.

Liam was released from the hospital yesterday. His mother had decided that they were going to pay the Payne family a visit. She was baking some cookies to bring over. (Probably as an apology, Louis thinks).

He picks up a t-shirt from the floor and sniffs it before deciding it’s clean enough. He struggles to put it on with his cast. He takes one last glance out the window again before leaving his bedroom and going downstairs.

 

Louis fiddles with hem of his t-shirt with his one good arm as he stands at the Paynes’ front door beside his mother. She knocks on the door again after minutes went by without an answer after the first knock. She glances back at him sadly and he lets out a shaky exhale.

He looks back at his house. From where he’s standing, he can see the side of it to the window of his room. He finds himself wishing he was back there so he could curl up under his duvet.

People say he’s lucky. The other driver in the accident had gotten away unscathed. The police only charged him with careless driving since he’s still young and the Paynes chose not to press charges against him. He certainly doesn’t feel lucky.

When Karen finally answers the door, she looks exhausted but she puts on a smile upon seeing them. “Jay, Louis, hello, please, come in.”

“Karen, hi, how have you and your family been doing?” his mother asks as they follow her into the house.

“Oh, we-we’re okay, all things considering,” Karen says softly.

“We’ve made you some cookies.”

“Oh, you’re too kind.”

Louis had been quietly standing beside his mother, keeping his eyes on his feet. “Mrs. Payne, I also wanted to say I’m really, really sorry,” he says under his breath.

Karen nods hesitantly but she still keeps the kind smile on her face. There was an awkwardness in the air. Although, that’s to be expected. He doesn’t expect her- or any of the family for that matter- to forgive him. Hard to forgive someone who paralyzed their son from the waist down after all.

“Um, why don’t you go upstairs to Liam’s room while we talk?” his mother says to him.

“I’m not sure, now is such a good time,” Karen says.

“I’ll just check on him for a bit, promise I won’t be a bother.”

 

Louis tentatively raps on the door of Liam’s room several times, not once getting an answer. Liam’s definitely in his room so it meant that he’s probably ignoring him.

He takes a deep breath before turning the knob and opening the door. Immediately, he’s struck by how messy the room was which as far as he knew, is unusual. There’s papers scattered all over the floor as well as several pens as if someone had been throwing them all over the room. He slowly ventures deeper into the room, taking care not to step on any of the papers on the ground.

Liam is sitting in a wheelchair by his desk, reading what looked like a comic book. His back is facing the door and his head’s down. His soft curls are in a mess but that’s fairly normal. If he noticed his presence, he makes no sign of acknowledgment.

“Hiya, Payne. Came to see how you were doing.” Louis starts with his usual light tone to try and lighten the mood. Liam raises his head slightly but doesn’t say anything.

“So, how have you been doing? You are alright, yeah?” he continues after a long silence. He keeps his joking tone despite feeling absolutely awful on the inside. He clears his throat and pushes his fringe aside. “I mean Zayn and Niall have just been chewing me fine arse while Harry just shakes his head in disappointment. It’s been driving me absolutely mad--”

“Why are you here?” Liam abruptly turns around to face him, slamming the comic down on his lap.

This is the first time he’s seen him since the hospital after the latter started crying that he couldn’t feel his legs. There are a few minor cuts and bruises visible on his skin- the less serious injuries he sustained from the accident.

“I wanted to see how you were doing. I was worried about yo-” Louis takes a step back. He looks down at his feet and starts to fidget on the spot and rub his cast.

“Don’t give me that bullshit. You’ve never given a fuck about me. Tell me the truth; why are you here? Is it because you feel guilty? You should be,” Liam spits.

“I-I-” Louis struggles for words- something he’s sure would shock everyone.

“Why don’t you go drown your guilty conscience in booze or drugs or whatever the fuck it is you do? Because I really could not give a damn.”Liam turns his wheelchair back around, turning his back to him. “Just get out.”

“Wait, just listen-”

“GET OUT.” Louis’ feet feel like they’re stuck to the ground. He works his mouth, looking for words. He just needs to do something, say something, anything.

His head is spinning and his heart is hammering against his chest. He ends up bolting out the door- his mother calling after him as he runs past her- and back to his house. He locks himself in his room and slumps against his door and lets out a strangled sob, cursing himself for being so stupid, for being a coward.

 

Louis and Liam have lived next door to each other since Liam and his family moved to their neighbourhood when Liam was 5 and Louis was 6. They didn’t get along even then.

Louis thought Liam was too serious, too sensible and just all around boring. He was so used to everyone just naturally gravitating to him. People always said he was funny and an exciting person to be around but he just found it so difficult to understand someone who wanted to follow the rules all the time and took things so seriously. Always looking like a kicked puppy after the lightest bit of teasing.

Liam thought Louis was too loud and obnoxious. He usually made it a point to be friendly to everybody. He likes making people happy and he’s never thought of himself as picky when it comes to friends. But Louis is unlike anybody he’s ever met that he didn’t know what to make of him. He was so frustrating and intimidating, if he was being honest. He was always doing something mischievous and never taking anything seriously.

But they lived next door to each other, they went to the same school, they shared friends and their moms were friends so they were practically forced to be around each other. Their moms thought that they would grow out of it, learn to be friends but as they got older, they both decided that they just hated each other.

At the very least, they had tried to be civil for the sake of their mutual friends but most of the time, they would end up in an argument and one of them would storm off in a strop. Eventually, they both just started to avoid each other, making it a point to be around each other only when they absolutely had to. They would hang out with their mutual friends separately and just all around live their lives parallel to each other. Zayn, Niall and Harry thought it was the stupidest idea ever but since they refused to get along, there wasn’t really any other options. (We could just find new friends, Zayn once threatened.)

They managed to stay out of each others’ lives and everything was going well (It is not going well, Harry had complained) until Niall decided to have a party while his parents were out of town. He insisted Liam come despite his- and Louis’- protests.

It was during the lunch time and Niall was trying to convince Liam to come to his party. They wouldn’t ordinarily sit at the same table but given the circumstances, they didn’t have a choice. It was part of their compromise; Louis gets to sit with them during lunch since Liam is with Zayn and Niall through most of the day as they share most of their classes. Harry’s basically a wild card, popular enough that he’d always have plans with or without either of them.

“Niall, it’s really not my thing. You know I don’t drink--” Liam tried to let Niall down gently.

“Of course, he doesn’t” Louis snorted, rolling his eyes.

Liam ignored the snide comment, continuing what he was saying. “Trust me, I’ll just be a drag.”

“You know, I have to agree him on that one, Nialler,” Louis chimed in again. Zayn and Harry already lost interest and took to speaking to the girls at the table behind them.

“Oh, come on, please. It’ll be fun and it won’t be the same without you.” The blonde started to bounce on the heels of his feet in excitement, holding on to Liam’s arm.

“N, you don’t have fun with Liam, you have fun despite him.”

Liam sighed in defeat as Niall started to pout. “Okay, I’ll come by.” Niall cheered but he held up a finger. “But only for a bit.”

Niall didn’t seem to care and pulled him in for a hug.

“Am I being ignored here?” Louis threw his hands up in exasperation. Liam pulled out of Niall’s hug and muttered, “Yes, maybe take the hint and shut up.”

“Oh, what’s the matter, Liam? Too stupid to come up with a better comeback?.”

“You want a better comeback? Why don’t you-” Zayn and Harry immediately shot up from their seats, snapping out of their own conversations to intervene. Zayn started tugging Liam, walking him out of the lunch room while Harry stayed to try to placate Louis. They glared at each other before allowing themselves to be pulled away.

That was just how it usually went; they could never be anywhere near each other without getting into an argument. Unfortunately, Karen had to work the day of the party and Liam had yet to get his learner’s permit. Their moms might as well have forced them into the same car. They wouldn’t even hear any arguments about it. They were going to the same place, it was only logical for them to go together after all.

It was to be expected that they bickered the whole way there. It started when Liam complained about Louis’ driving even if he was only going a little over the speed limit. When they reached Niall’s place, they were both in a sour mood.

Louis started doing shots in rapid succession as soon as he could.

“Whoa, man, you might want to slow down.” Niall patted him on the shoulder.

“Mate, I just spent an entire car ride with Liam and I need to wash the bad taste out off my mouth,” Louis said. “Stuck up prick,” he muttered before snatching the red solo cup out of his blonde friend’s hands and started to chug the contents without asking what it was.

Liam had went off to one corner of the room, quietly sipping at a drink Niall handed him on the way in. He sat down on the couch, looking blatantly out of place surrounded by his loud, wild peers as well as many others he didn’t recognize. That wasn’t a surprise; his friends were the type people gravitated towards.

A mess of curly hair and lanky limbs flopped down beside him. “Hey, I thought you didn’t drink.” There was a slight slur in addition to Harry’s usual drawl from the effects of the alcohol.

“I’ll make an exception tonight,” Liam said, sharply.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately said in a softer tone, “I’m just a bit frustrated is all.”

They chatted for bit before Harry left him alone to go chat up a tall blonde girl who looked like she was in college.

For the most part, he stayed in that corner of the room. He was never the best at socialization. He was used to this, to scared to go up to people to strike up a conversation especially since everybody was in the midst of their own conversations.

It was around midnight when Liam decided to suck in a deep breath before going up to Louis who was busy laughing with a group of people. “Letting you know, I’m taking a taxi home.”

“Oh, for god sakes,” the older boy groaned, “Pretty sure my mom will kill me if I don’t ‘escort’ you home so just give me a few more minutes.”

Liam started to walk away, trying to find Niall to tell him he was leaving but not before hearing Louis say to his friends in a condescending tone, “Sorry, gotta take Cinderella home.”

Louis had insisted he hadn’t drank anything in the past hour; sure that he had sobered up from the shots he took earlier.

“You can get in the car or you can walk home. Either way, I don’t care,” Louis said finally, refusing to continue their argument. Liam didn’t want to admit that he realized a few minutes ago he didn’t have money for a taxi so with great reluctance, he got into the car. “You better not crash.”

“Will you stop whining? It’ll be fine.”

 

Louis curls up in his bed, clutching at his blue cotton sheets, quietly sobbing as he played the events from that night over and over again in his mind.

His alarm begins to buzz. He groans and smacks the snooze button. He hadn’t slept a wink all night but- for once- he doesn’t want to stay home so he rolls out of bed.

He looks at himself in the mirror. His eyes are puffy and his hair’s in a mess and not the carefully made ‘mess’ that he managed to convince people was natural. He wipes his eyes and takes several deep breaths to steady himself down.

Once he’s sure he’s not so much as sniffling, he lumbers downstairs and out the door without stopping for breakfast despite his mom and sisters calling after him. He’s not sure he can handle talking to them at the moment. His sisters sort of know what happened but don’t really understand it; they keep asking him questions he’s not sure he can answer.

He stops when he gets outside. He stares at a spot at the side of the road where his car would have been parked had it not been impounded and his hands start shaking. He clenches them and keeps walking.

When he gets to school, he pulls his hood over his head and keeps his head down, ignoring anyone who cheerily approaches him to tell him how glad they are to see him back. He just can’t deal with them now.

As soon as he sees, Harry and Zayn chatting as they lean against their lockers, he slowly walks up towards them. Harry awkwardly shifts his gaze to the floor while Zayn looks up at him blankly.

“Still mad at me?” Louis tries for a smile.

“Not mad, just disappointed.” Louis’ face falls. “What were you thinking?” They already had this talk but it seems Zayn felt it warrants repeating. He already knows he screwed up, he doesn’t need to keep being reminded about it.

“I wasn’t thinking, that was the problem,” he mumbles.

“You couldn’t have walked or gotten a taxi. Someone could have died.”

“I know, I know.” he shouts, not caring it people started staring, “It was stupid. I was stupid.”

They’re silent for while, and it’s awkward and uncomfortable, until Niall walks up to them. He gives them a small wave and a soft ‘hi’. It feels odd to them seeing their usually energetic friend so subdued. “So, I called Liam this morning.”

“And?” Harry asks with concern in his voice.

“He’s...not great. He sounds miserable and wants to be alone all the time,” Niall says, “I’m worried he might--.”

“Come on guys, it’s Liam,” Harry interrupts, trying to lighten the mood but they can all hear the desperation in his voice, “He’ll be okay. He just needs to get used to his...situation.”

The others are solemn at that until Louis says, “He’s right, he’ll be fine.” He’s not sure who he’s trying to convince.

 

Louis keeps mostly silent throughout the day which he thought his teachers would have a celebration for but instead they just look at him with pity. Of course they know, he mutters bitterly to himself. He thought that coming to school would give him some much needed distraction. Instead, it’s just making him feel worse.

He’s thankful when the last bell rings and he can go home where he would just hide under his sheets forever.

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. “Sweetheart, could you go check on Liam. Karen had an emergency at work and I said you’d help out.” He gets the phone call just as he was walking by the house.

He agrees despite his reluctance.

 

He knocks on the front door to alert Liam of his presence before using the spare keys the family had given them to enter the house.

“Hello?” There’s no answer. After checking to make sure Liam is definitely not downstairs, he goes up the stairs. He takes a peak into every room until he reaches Liam’s bedroom. The door’s open but he’s not there either.

The last room’s the bathroom. He knocks on the door, getting no response even though he can hear movements inside. After some debate, he decides to open the door, hoping he’s not going to catch the other boy with his pants down.

He sees Liam sitting on the floor near the toilet with a blank expression on his face, his unusable legs folded underneath him, his wheelchair toppled over beside him. There’s a awful stench in the air which make his nose wrinkle. “Liam, what are you doing on the floor? What is that smell?”

“What do you think that smell is?” The other boy says in a broken tone, still staring ahead with a glassy look in his eyes, “I can’t even use the bathroom without needing assistance.”

“How long have you been sitting there?” he asks cautiously.

“I don’t know, what does it matter?”

“What about your physiotherapy, hasn’t that been any help?”

“Haven’t been going, don’t see the point.”

“Okay, that’s it.” Maybe it’s his lack of sleep or pent up frustration making him bolder but he doesn’t really want to think about it now. He goes over to Liam and tries to pick him up. It’s not easy with everything working against him. He has only one good arm, Liam’s struggling against him and he’s not as strong as he might hope.

Still, he manages to get him up and into the shower stall. He presses him against the wall with his casted arm, holding him up while he reaches over to turn the water on. The smell coming from him not bothering him anymore with more important things to focus on.

Liam doesn’t stop struggling against him. “Get off me. What the hell are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Their clothes are getting soaked as is his cast which he’s sure he’s not supposed to do but he doesn’t care. “You’ve always had a stick up your arse but you’ve never been a defeatist. What happened to the dork that tried out for the basketball team again and again, training non-stop until he was good enough? What happened to the moron who once retook an exam TWICE until he got at least a B? What happened to the boy who would fight me at every turn no matter how much crap I threw at him?”

Liam stops struggling against him which at the very least makes him easier to hold up against the wall. He downcasts his eyes, making him look even more broken.

Louis waits for what seemed like forever for him to say something but he just kept silent. He loosens his grip on him and they both sink to the ground. And they just sit under the shower for a while.

 

Louis comes back into Liam’s room after giving him a moment of privacy to change his clothes. The dry clothes Liam let him borrow is loosely fitted as he’s broader than him. He runs the spare towel through his damp hair as he glances at Liam, trying to read his expression. “Are you alright?”

“Brilliant,” he mumbles, averting his gaze. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, gripping his dark blue duvet. In actuality, he isn’t feeling fine at all. Once he had came out of the haze he was in, he realized with mortification that L had just seen him at what is probably his lowest.

“Okay,” Louis says, sitting down beside him. Liam braces himself for the mocking but Louis doesn’t say anything. Neither of them do.

The silence is broken by the sound of rumbling. Liam groans, covering his face in embarrassment .

“Was that you?” Louis looks at him with a wide grin. “We could go get something to eat?”

“No, thank you,” Liam says curtly but Louis’ not having any of that.

“Come on, you got my cast wet. You can accompany me to get it changed and then we can get some food.” He sprang up to his feet and lifted him up, easing him to his wheelchair.

“It wasn’t my fault your cast got wet,” he says incredulously but he doesn’t try to stop him from moving him.

 

Moving downstairs proves a challenge. Liam’s house doesn’t have a spare room downstairs for him to move to. And his family doesn’t have enough money for a chair lift. They can barely afford one of those electronic wheelchairs, he’s been using a manual one. At the moment, his parents are still trying to get bars installed in the bathroom and his bedroom.

Louis ends up having to walk backward down the stairs, carefully lowering Liam’s wheelchair down each step. It was lucky the stairs are not steep.

“This can only end badly,” Liam deadpans

“Oh, fucking hell. Do you have to be so negative? Do you ever think that this is why nobody wants to hang out with you?” Louis says in an attempt to goad him into a fight, to bring out the fire that’s been missing from him. But the other boy just mutters, “Whatever.”

 

The bus stop isn’t too far from the house so they manage to reach the hospital without much incident.

While Louis meets with his doctor to get his cast changed, Liam wanders around nearby. The halls of the hospital are horribly cold and sterile and sitting in one place for an extended period of time is just making him miserable.

By chance, he comes across the physiotherapy room. He peaks inside forlornly. He rolls himself inside, towards the parallel bars. For a while, he just stares at them.

Taking a look around the deserted room, he reaches for one of the bars and then the other one. He lets out a pained groan as his muscles strain trying to lift himself up.

After much straining, he manages to level himself. He tries to hold that position despite his arms screaming out in agony. He attempts to lower his feet to the floor but predictably, his arms give out and he tumbles to the ground.

It make a loud sound which attracts the attention of a couple of nurses who rush into the room. They help him back into his wheelchair and try to speak to him but he’s too busy cursing himself to hear what they’re saying.

“Hey, what happened?” He shuts his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice, wishing he could sink into the ground and disappear.

The nurses explain what happened as far as they know. He keeps his eyes shut so he has no idea what’s was going on after that. He hears footsteps and then it goes silent but he doesn’t feel like he’s being moved.

He slowly opens his eyes to see Louis staring at him. The nurses seem to have left the room. The older boy has his eyebrows raised but there’s no judgment on his face. There’s a brand new cast on his arm but no sling. He has his arms crossed, waiting for him to explain himself.

Liam feels a little bad that he had to get a new cast since everyone had written such wonderful messages on his old one. Not to mention the beautiful drawing Zayn had worked so hard on but he’s also feeling particularly humiliated at the moment. “Don’t, just don’t.” He rolls himself towards the door before he can say anything.

But Louis quickly moves in front of him, leans over and stares him right in the eyes with a look of defiance on his face. “Liam, stop.”

Liam keeps his expression blank. He refuses to back down and avert his gaze despite the uneasiness of having Louis’ devastating blue eyes trained on him. He doesn’t say a word and waits for Louis to rant at him or something. Surprisingly, his expression softens instead. “Look, I get that it’s not been easy. You’re upset and frustrated and it’s okay.You’re worried that you may not be able to overcome this one. But from what I can tell, you still want to try.”

He backs away and stands upright but his gaze never leaves Liam who shifts his gaze down. “Tell you what, you do your physio, I’ll walk you to the hospital and I’ll even stay for the whole session. You promise to try, I promise to be by your side every step of the way.”

Liam smirks mirthlessly. “You doing this because you feel guilty?”

“No... well partially but it’s mostly because I can’t stand to see you looking so pathetic.” Liam looks up, surprised at the sudden tonal shift. There’s the familiar mocking expression on Louis’ face, the one that dares Liam to fight him, challenging him.

Liam’s expression shifts to defiance in response. “You got yourself a deal, Tomlinson.”

 

They settle into a routine where after school, Louis would go with Liam to the hospital and hang around while he does his exercises. Luckily, Paddy, his physiotherapist didn’t seem to mind him hanging around too much.

It’s a quiet day in the physiotherapy room. Liam’s doing pull ups while Louis’ sitting off to the side, bored out of his mind.

After a few minutes, Louis walks over to Liam, studying him while he does his pull ups. A few visible beads of sweat run down his neck. His curls are soaked as well as his t-shirt which has sticks to his skin, outlining his toned abdomen. With his lips parted, Louis starts to notice how plush and pink his bottom lip is. He bites his own lip to stop himself from thinking about how those lips taste, to stop himself from thinking dirty thought about the boy in front of him. Just because he never liked him before, doesn’t mean he can’t admit the boy’s attractive.

Then, he notices a slight wince with every pull up and a cheeky thought pops into his head. “Are you quitting on me? Well, are you? Then quit, you slimy fucking walrus-looking piece of shit! Get the fuck out of my obstacle! Get down from my obstacle,” he started yelling in his best drill-sergeant impression.

Liam stops what he’s doing to stare at him, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

“It’s Full Metal Jacket, you know, R Lee Ermey,” Louis says in his normal voice.

“I know, I’ve seen the film....what the fuck are you doing?”

“Thought you needed some motivation.”

Liam just shakes his head and continues on with his pull ups. He does two before he stops again and returning his attention to Louis. He looks at him curiously. “Don’t you have footie practice?”

Louis holds up his left arm. “Broken arm.” The ‘duh’ implied.

“I know but aren’t you, like, obsessed with it or something? I would think you would go anyway.”

“Oh, but it is so much more fun hanging out with you, dear Liam,” Louis says wryly, rubbing his cast. He turns around on his heels and marches back to where he was sitting, giving a short wave back to send the message that the conversation is over.

In truth, he misses the game more than anything but he feels something holding him back. Feelings of guilt come flooding back when he picked up the ball he has in his room and it got even worse when he tried to kick it around in his back yard. He hasn’t touched it again since.

He longs to get back on the field but something inside him is telling him he doesn’t deserve it.

 

When Liam’s finally cleared to go back to school, he hesitates to go through the door. He feels terribly awkward moving through the hallways in a wheelchair, hearing the hushed whispers and feeling the looks of pity directed at him.

“It’s great to see you, Liam,” Harry says as he approaches his group of friends; the only people who cared enough to visit him while he was absent.

“Haz, you saw me yesterday.” Liam shakes his head at his friend fondly.

“No, but I mean it’s good to see you _here_ , you know.” Harry gestures around wildly. Liam just nods his head in response, patting his friend lightly on the arm.

It does feel good to be back but as he finds out later, it’s also different. People treat him differently. Probably because in their eyes, he’s different. His teacher’s are walking on eggshells around him.

He was never terribly popular with his peers but since he’s been back, they either avoid him like he has the plague or they’d be overly helpful. What’s worse is that he’s been experiencing the same thing at home. His parents have been coddling him and acting like he’s made of glass. He thinks himself foolish for hoping for any kind of normalcy in his life, especially from school.

“Fuck them,” Niall tells him during lunch when he sees how miserable he looks.

“People suck, okay, they just suck. I’m handicapped not helpless” he grumbles, “I can still do some things on my own. I am still very much capable of many things. I-I-I’m-” He waves a hand around trying to find the words to say.

“You’re Oracle,” Zayn says helpfully.

“I’m Oracle,” Liam agrees with a slightly proud nod. With his friends around him, he starts feeling a little better.

“So, you’ll get a retcon and be given the use of your legs back in a reboot?” Louis asks sarcastically. Harry and Niall wince slightly while Zayn just sighs. They look at Liam, bracing themselves for a fight. Instead, he smirks and says, “Yup, this also means you’re the Joker which I think is quite fitting.”

“Hey, fuc-ehh, you’re right.”

The other three boys look back and forth between them as the two start trading insults but they’re not harsh and in fact, seem more like friendly teasing. They know about their little agreement but are nevertheless surprised their relationship had changed so much. The exchange in front of them is a far cry from the venomous arguments they’re used to.

 

It’s frustrating but Liam tries to ignore to the way people are treating him. He decides what Paddy had said to him at his first therapy session is right; there’s no point wallowing in his own misery. So, he strives to hold his head up high.

When he sees his basketball teammates in the hallways, he tries talking to them like before. “Hiya, lads, what did I miss? I heard this one fell right on his arse going for a dunk,” he says, playfully punching Andy on the arm. He reasons that if he pretends everything was normal, everyone else will do the same.

Instead, they look uncomfortable and start to disperse, leaving him alone with Andy who sighs deeply. Andy’s the team captain so it’s no surprise they left it to him to give him the bad news. “Look, Liam, not that we aren’t glad to see you back but...given your current state, we’re not sure you’re cut out for the team anymore.”

“Oh,” Liam chews the bottom of his lips, “What does coach say about it?”

Andy stares at his feet, taking a while to answer. “He agrees it would be best.”

“I see.I understand, I get it, really.” He does understand and tells himself he has no right to be upset because he should have expected it.

“Listen, we can still...hang out, you know, we’ll still talk,” Andy says sounding unsure and uncomfortable, like he’s only saying it to avoid upsetting him further.

“It-it’s fine, r-really,” Liam stammers, turning around and getting out of there as fast as he can. Andy just stand there silently. He’s thankful that he’s getting better at maneuvering his wheelchair so he can avoid any further embarrassment. It’s after the last bell so the halls are mostly deserted. Everyone else had either gone home or having sports practice. No one around to see him break down.

He speeds down the hallways, feeling empty inside. He feels tears prickling his eyes and his surroundings start to become a blur.

He nearly runs down Zayn who comes seemingly out of nowhere. “Whoa!” Zayn holds his hand out as Liam grinds to a halt, stopping about two inches away.

“Nearly ran me down there. You trying to play a live action version of Grand Theft Wheelchair?” Zayn jokes, placing a hand over his heart.

“Sorry,” Liam mumbles, keeping his head down.

“Something wrong?” his friend asks with concern.

“No, no, I’m fine.” he quickly looks up and plasters on a smile but Zayn doesn’t look convinced.

“Liam, you were in good spirits when I saw you last, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

“Okay, well, it’s my turn to walk you home, right? Give me a minute, let me just take care of a few things,” Zayn says slowly, narrowing his eyes at him like he’s waiting for him to just start spilling out his feelings.

“You don’t have to, I can find my own way home,” Liam says quickly.

“No.”

He looks at his friend in amusement, throwing his hands up in confusion. “That’s it; ‘no’.”

Zayn nods and says, “Just wait here for a few minutes. Won’t be long.” He goes back into the room he had just came out of which Liam can now see is the art room.

Liam peaks inside to see him talking to a girl with dyed purple hair. He’s seen her around the school and recalls seeing Zayn talk to her the whole night during Niall’s party.

“Is that Perrie Edwards, mate? Are you two dating? That is so awesome, why haven’t you told me?” he asks excitedly as Zayn comes back out, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Okay, you, time to go,” Zayn dismisses his questions and starts pushing his wheelchair as if that’ll shut him up.

“Seriously, bro, I need details. Have you been on a proper date yet?” Liam tilts his head up at him, giving him a wide grin.

“You tell me what’s got you so upset just now, I’ll tell you my relationship status.”

“I told you, it’s nothing. Look, I just got kicked off the basketball team, that’s all. No big deal,” he shrugs, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I’m sorry, I know how much it meant to you.”

Liam shakes his head. “It’s alright. Not too bothered by it actually.” And it true, he’s not too bothered by getting kicked off the basketball team. He thinks about how they barely looked at him when he approached them. Just more people treating him differently.

Anyway, he doesn’t want to think to much about it so he quickly changing the subject. “So, tell me everything about you and Pe.”

Zayn sighs and shakes his head in exasperation but he’s smiling. “We started talking at Niall’s party and we went on one date so far; had coffee at Costa’s.”

“Excellent, we shall call you Zerrie.” Liam pumps his fists in the air.

“You most certainly will not.”

 

Louis doesn’t mean to torture himself by watching his teammates have a practice game. He longs to join them but he feels something inside him holding him back. He’s leaning against the chain link fence and hopefully hidden from view by the bleachers. His backpack carelessly dumped to the floor, laying by his feet. He starts idly rubbing his cast; a nervous habit he’s seems to have developed.

He starts chewing his bottom lip as Niall goes head-to-head against Josh. The rising intensity out in the field causes him come forward subconsciously to get a better view.

Niall gets past Josh and scores a goal. The blonde starts whooping in celebration and hugging the members of his team.

He bites the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from cheering and drawing attention to himself but too late, someone already spots him. “Hey, Tomlinson.”

“Tom, hi,” he says weakly. He lets himself be pulled into the one-arm hug Tom gives him.

“Hey, bro, care to join us,” Stan says as he runs over to them, “Wouldn’t want out best player getting rusty.”

“Second best.” Tom smirks and jabs Stan in the ribs with his elbow.

“Oh, I’d love to but...” He trails off as he holds up his injured arm. He even throws in a grimace to really convey his remorse for not being able to join them.

Tom nods and adds, “Okay, but how about you come out with us to the pub later; grab a pint? This one,” He jerks his thumb at Stan, “can’t cause he’s too whipped.”

“Umm, I don’t know, lads. I’m still not....”

“Come on, you pansy, we’re not asking you to drive,” Tom scowls and rolls his eyes.

Louis grits his teeth, he hasn’t touched alcohol since the accident. He just can’t bring himself to do it. “I can’t I-I-” As soon as, he hears Liam’s and Zayn’s voices, he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “I have to go help Liam. Made a promise, you know.”

“What?” Liam looks at him in confusion. He and Zayn are on the other side of the fence and had overheard his lie as they were walking past. “No, you don’t. It’s Friday; no physio today, remember.”

“Yes, but I promised I’d come over and give you some company, dear Liam,” L smiles tightly and shoots him a look, telling him to be quiet. Liam catches on immediately and rolls his eyes.

“So, you’d rather hang out with the cripple,” Stan says bluntly. Louis bristles and glances back at Liam. There’s no change in Liam expression; he still looks annoyed from his lie. Zayn, on the other hand, subtly clenches his fist but looks away instead of saying anything.

“Not really my choice, I made a promise and I keep my promises,” Louis says firmly. He bends down to grab his back pack, intending to walk away with the last word. He walks through the door in the fence and joins Zayn and Liam.

“I hope you know there’s a special place in hell for people who use the handicapped for their own means,” Liam says as soon as they’re out of earshot of the field.

 

“You do realize that just because you told your friends you were going to be here doesn’t mean you actually have to be here, right?” Liam says.

They’re in his room. He’s at his desk, trying get his homework out of the way. Zayn left earlier after helping Liam up the stairs when he got a call from Perrie. Liam convinced him to go hang out with her instead of him, insisting he’d be fine. Zayn was reluctant at first but he finally agreed, promising to call him later.

Louis is lying on his bed and had been since they got here an hour ago. His eyes are closed but there’s a hint of a scowl forming on his face. “Give me a break, I’ve had a long day,” He groans, sounding tired.

“Can’t you sleep off your long day in your own room?”

Louis turns over on his side and mumbles into his duvet. “Whassa matter, Payner? Getting sick of me already?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything else towards you. Anyway, I thought you’d be the one who’d want a break from me.” Liam moves nearer to the bed and jabs him on the leg. Louis swats his hand away but doesn’t say anything else.

Liam goes back to his desk and tries to get some work done. He taps his pen on his notepad, finding himself unable to stop thinking about something. “Why’d you lie to your friends?”

“Jeez, you still on about that?” Louis groans, sitting up.

“You didn’t have to be here so why didn’t you want to go hang out with your mates?” Liam asks without any hint of accusation.

“I already told you; it is so much more fun hanging out with you,” Louis says condescendingly, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“I just don’t see-”

“If you’re not going to drop it, maybe I will just go back to my room,” he cuts Liam off and starts towards the door.

As if on instinct, Liam quickly reaches out and grips his wrist tightly. “Why can’t you ever just give me a serious answer? I’m trying to have an actual conversation with you.” He thought they were making progress and getting past the petty nonsense but apparently he’s mistaken.

Louis tries to pull out of his grip but Liam’s has a firm hold on him. “Let go of me!”

“Just talk to me seriously for 5 seconds.”

Louis doesn’t say anything, continues to struggle out of his grip. There’s desperation on his face as he’s writhing and twisting his arm.

Liam sighs, slumping his shoulders in defeat. He’s about to release his grip when Louis tugs his arm sharply. The sudden movement pulls him out of his wheelchair.

The fall to the ground knocks the breath out of him. He places his hands on the wooden floorboards to push himself off the floor but he suddenly feels a pair of hands grab at him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Louis is wrapping his arm around his midsection and hauling him up with surprising gentleness. He sounds panicked and distressed.

“It’s okay, It’s okay,” Liam assures as he settles back into his wheelchair. But Louis kneels down next to him to check on him anyway.

Seeing him up close, Liam’s now noticing how absolutely wrecked he looks; there are heavy bags under his eyes, he’s gotten quite pale and he looks like he’s lost some weight.

Liam’s eyes fall to his knee where Louis hand is resting. He notices this and immediately withdraws it. He still looks anxious and Liam opens his mouth to say something but then, his phone rings. He stands up and turns around to answer the call.

Liam waits patiently for his phone call to ends, tapping on the arm rests. There’s a scrape on his elbow which he absentmindedly rubs at. He glances around his room and he sees his basketball and his track shoes and suddenly he feels a lump in his throat. Above the cabinet where his sports trophies stand, there’s a motivational poster of a little cartoon cat in a wheelchair with words above it saying ‘I can still do it!’. His sister, Ruth, had brought it for him when she came for a visit after the accident. It’s supposed to be something encouraging. It’s supposed to be.

“Liam,” Louis says softly, bringing him out of his thoughts, “Haz want us to meet him at the King’s Court.”

 

The King’s Court is a pub that’s near the bakery where Harry works. Harry told them to meet him there because he had an emergency. Only when they get there do they discover his deceit. Harry’s friend needs some assistance as he’s short of hands. Apparently, he volunteered himself and his friends as his temporary employees. Zayn managed to get out of it since he’s on a date and no one is able to reach him.

“Tell me why we have to help when it’s your mate, we’re talking about,” Louis asks in a sharp tone.

“Because I asked and you guys love me,” Harry replies cheerfully but Niall and Louis are narrowing their eyes at him. His smile twists into a smirk as he adds, “And Nick says you guys’ll get a couple of pints on the house.”

“That’s better,” Niall says with satisfaction as he tosses his coat aside and Liam’s already willing to help regardless. Louis, however, takes a little more convincing. Harry pouts and start begging, “Please, I don’t always ask for favours. Just do this one for me.”

He eventually relents. “You’re lucky, I could actually use a paycheck. We are getting paid, right?”

“Absolutely.” Harry nods happily.

Liam and Harry work the bar while Niall and Louis are waiters. There are already a few people coming in to start drinking but the crowd doesn’t start coming in until eight.

It’s loud and there are too many people. In an ordinary situation, Liam would have gotten out of there as soon as he could but he’s doing his friend a favour so he tolerates it. He looks over to his friend a few times; Harry has been texting someone between serving the customers.

“You know, it’s okay if you can’t handle this, I can manage the crowd,” Harry says with concern as he’s serving another customer. Liam sighs and rolls his eyes. “For the fifth time, I’m fine, Harry.”

“Hey there, curly,” a voice says and Liam looks up only to discover they’re talking to Harry. It’s a tall lanky red-haired girl and she smiles flirtatiously.

“Yes, is there anything I can get you, miss?” Harry says quickly as he pockets his phone.

“A scotch, please and perhaps your name?” she says in a sultry voice.

“Sure thing, and it’s Harry, I guess,” he says innocently as he scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, completely ignorant of her advances.

The customer tries a few more tactics but none of them seem to work. Eventually, she gives up and takes her drink and leaves.

“Harry, you know that girl was flirting with you, right?” Liam laughs as he watches her walk away.

“Was she?” Harry says distractedly as he takes out his phone again.

“Since when do you not notice these thing?” H’s always been a flirt and why not? He has a dynamic personality and an adorable smile complete with dimples that attracts both male and female attention. And he almost always flirts back.

“I don’t know,” he replies but it’s obvious he’s only half paying attention to their conversation. He’s smiling with delight at his phone as he receives another message.

“Is that Taylor, bro?” Niall teases as he settles the tray he was holding on the counter.

“Who’s Taylor?” Liam asks.

“Someone our dear Harry’s been texting since the party.” Niall grin cheekily and starts making kissy faces at him. “Basically, our little Harry is in love.”

“Wait, the party? You mean that college girl he was talking to?” Liam asks.

“Yep.”

“First, Zayn. Now, you. Why does nobody tell me things anymore?” he throws his hands up incredulously. He’s half joking but his friends seem to think he’s serious. Seeing the discomfort in their faces, his shoulders drop and he realizes what’s going on.

Harry tries for a weak smile, “I’m sorry, w-we just th-thought you wouldn’t want to hear about it because...”

As if Liam didn’t already feel bad before, he feels worse now. “Did you think I’d be upset? Why? Why would I be upset that you guys found something that makes you happy?” The two of them drop their gazes and keep silent. Suddenly, it all becomes clear to him. “Because something great happened to you the same night something bad happened to me? Lads, I don’t want this to be all people think about when they look at me.”

Harry looks up wide eyed and shakes his head. “We don’t, it’s not like that.”

 

“I’m still the same person I was before. This,” Liam gestures to the lower half of his body, “doesn’t mean you need to walk on eggshells around me.”

“Fuck, it was so much better being the one receiving the drinks that the one giving them,” Louis interrupts with a groan, burying his face in his arms on the counter. “Why are we not talking?” he asks when none of them say anything. Harry fidgets on the spot while Niall averts his gaze and makes an excuse to leave.

“We were just talking about H’s new girlfriend,” Liam says, putting on a tight smile. Louis shrugs. “Okay, well--”

“Hey, Lou, thought you had to babysit tonight.” He shuts his eyes tightly at the sound of Tom’s voice. The person in question approaches the bar with about 4 of their teammates following behind. “Oh, sorry, Payne, didn’t see you there?”

The others don’t even try to cover their snickers. Liam almost wants to shrink away but he has a job to do and he made a promise to himself to hold his head up high. They order their drinks, not noticing the glare Harry is sending them. Louis shifts awkwardly, clears his throat and says, “Harry needed our help so here we are.”

Tom seems to accept that answer. Louis looks like he’s about excuse himself so he can go serve the customers but then Matt, one of his teammates says something to Liam. “Mind if I ask a question?”

Liam can’t help the feeling of dread settling in his stomach. There’s a malicious grin on Matt’s lip as he asks without any hint of shame, “Are you, like, wearing a nappy?”

 The question feels like a blow to the gut. He feels his cheeks burning red hot and has to turn away. Louis’ jaw drops as he looks between Liam and Matt.

“You know what? You can leave,” Harry says, keeping his voice level even though his outrage is clear on his face.

“Calm down, bro, it’s only a question,” Matt shrugs with a smirk, “You are, aren’t you? I mean, it’s not a big deal since you’re crippled and all.”

“Matt, shut the fuck up,” Louis says quietly, rubbing his cast.

“I’m really sorry, Haz, but I’m actually feeling quite poorly. Do you mind if I leave?” Liam can hear his voice cracking but he doesn’t care. He feels sick and he just wants to get out of there. Harry nods.

“Liam!” Louis calls out to him and tries to stop him.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to come with me,” Liam gives him a small smile, blinking back the tears, “I’d actually like to be alone if you don’t mind.”

He doesn’t even wait for a response. He just speeds out of there as fast as he can.

 

Louis really wants to punch Matt so badly but he knows that’s probably going to cause problems for Harry and that’s not fair.

“Bro, you know Matt’s a twat. Let it go,” Tom says, unconcerned by what happened.

“What just happened? Why did Liam leave? He looked upset.” Niall runs over, demanding an explanation. Tom waves him off and says, “Your friend can’t handle a little friendly ribbing, Horan. He needs to get a thicker skin.”

Niall doesn’t seem to buy it and leaves to ask Harry, who’s on the other side of the bar, instead.

Louis rubs his face in frustration. One of the lads tries to hand him a pint which he tries to turn down. “I’m working,” he mutters.

“Take a break, have one drink with us,” Tom says, taking the glass and holding it up to his face.

In the back of his mind, Louis’ knows he should check on Liam seeing how upset he was when he left. (He wants to be alone, he tries to tell himself, just call him later.) As he takes the glass from Tom’s hand, his breath catches as memories of the night of the accident flash before his eyes; his vision blurring, Liam yelling at him to slow down, swerving into the next lane and-

He tosses the drink down his throat and the memories start to fade.

 

When Liam comes through his front door, he hears his parents in the kitchen and he hopes that he can avoid them. He hates worrying them so much. They would be able to tell instantly that he’s upset- not that he’s very good at hiding it to begin with.

But when he reaches the stairs, he remembers that he doesn’t have a choice since he can’t go up to his room without assistance. (Can’t do anything without help, he thinks bitterly).

It’s not like he hasn’t dealt with arseholes before; he’d been bullied in primary school. Today felt worse than anything he’s ever had to deal with at primary school. It’s not so much what Matt said, it was that he was suddenly struck by the realization about how much everything has changed.

“Liam, love, are you home?” He hears his mother calling for him. Karen comes out of the kitchen and is immediately alarmed when she sees him. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” he assures her, “Can I just get some help upstairs, please?”

“Sweetheart, you don’t look fine. Please just tell me what’s wrong?” His mother is upset now and he feels awful. His father comes out of the kitchen to see what’s going on. “Son, what’s happened?”

“Nothing, nothing’s happened? Can I please just go to my room?” He’s desperate now and starts begging.

They finally agree and help him up the stairs but he’s not off the hook just yet. “Are you ready to tell us, what’s wrong?” His father says as soon as they reach the top step.

“If I say no, can we drop it?” He’s never this rude, not to his parents but he’s just so tired.

“Was someone nasty to you?” His mother says gently, she hesitates a bit before saying, “Sweetheart, if you think it’s too much and you want to stay home, if you think it was too soon to return to school, that’d be okay.”

“Mum, will you please stop? I’m not a child. I don’t want to stay home from school, I can’t. I want everybody to stop looking at me like a charity case, I wan’t everything to be normal again,” Tears are spilling from his eyes and his voice is breaking. He turns away from them and hangs his head. “I want my legs back.”

“Son-”

“Please just leave me alone.”

He doesn’t look up until he hears the door close. His breathing is ragged and his head hurts. He’s completely content with sitting there in the dark for the rest of the night.

But then, he sees his basketball rolling out to his feet. He picks it up from the floor and tosses it around in his hands. He spots the hoop above his door, aims and shoots. The ball goes through the hoop easily. It bounces back towards him and he score another basket. Despite himself, he lets out a laugh and wipes his eyes. He picks up the ball again and clutches it in his arms while he sits in silence for a while, letting his mind wander aimlessly.

Letting out a shaky exhale, he tosses the ball aside and moves to his bedside. Easing himself onto his bed, he lies above his covers and stares at his ceiling in a dazed state. He finally closes his eyes and falls asleep.

 

“LIAM! LIIIAAAM! LEEEYUM!” Whoever is yelling Liam’s name and waking him up sounds drunk. He’s sure they’re going to wake the neighbours.

Liam rubs the sleep from his eyes and checks the clock by his bed side; it’s half three in the morning. With a groan, he drags himself out of bed and wheels himself over to his window to see what all the commotion is about.

At the opposite house, he can see Louis slouching out of his open bedroom window looking disheveled and most likely drunk out of his mind.

Liam sighs and opens his own window, ignoring the chilly night air that breezes in. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“LIAM, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!” Louis is flailing his arms about like a madman. A neighbour’s dog starts barking and a light comes on through the window at a house on the opposite side of the street.

“Stop shouting, your waking the neighbours. You can tell me later,” Liam says calmly.

“BUT I NEED TO TELL YOU NOW,” Louis shouts petulantly and he’re pretty sure he would have seen him stamping his feet like a child if he could see his legs.

“Fine, come over, then.” Liam grits his teeth and shakes his head in exasperation. He’s about to shut his window but then his eyes widen in horror as Louis starts climbing out of his window. He reaches for the tree that stands between their houses and hops onto the branch closes to him.

Liam can feel his heart racing with fear as he watches Louis rather unsteadily maneuvering around the tree, stepping onto the next branch and then taking a leap to his window. Fortunately, his fingers latch on to the ledges of his window even though his cast restricts his left grip. Liam quickly grabs onto his arms and helps him into his room.

When Louis is fully inside, he flops to the floor with a laugh. Liam shuts the window and pinches the bridge of his nose. “There’s something seriously wrong with you.”

Louis scrambles to his feet although he’s a little unsteady. His eyes are slightly bloodshot and he’s slurring. “I have to say something.”

“Sure, but can I just ask how much you’ve had to drink?” Liam deadpans.

“Like-na alot-j-just th-this on-one-” He holds a hand up to stop Louis’ incoherent babbling. Louis takes a few deep breaths before continuing. “I need to say something.”

“Okay,” Liam says wearily.

“Can you let me finish?” The other boy says, sounding offended.

Liam holds his hands up in surrender and is about to roll his eyes but stops when he sees Louis’ expression crumple. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.” His voice is breaking and tears are starting to fill his eyes. “I realized I never actually said it, not properly, but I really am. I am so sorry.”

“I-It’s alright,” Liam says softly because he doesn’t know what else to say. They’re meant to be words of comfort because Louis looks so distraught right now.

“No, no, it’s not. I’ve been awful to you since the beginning and I’ve wrecked your life. I’m really sorry.” He collapses to his knees and lays his forehead on Liam’s lap, his shoulders shaking violently.

Liam is stunned, tentatively laying a hand on his back. The atmosphere in the room is still and silent. He closes his eyes, at a lost for what to do so he decides to just tell the truth. “To be fair, I could have put in a little more effort to be nicer to you too,” his voice is hushed. He’s reticent but he continues, “I won’t lie, I can’t say I’ve completely forgive you...for what happened, it’s not been easy...but I’m getting there.”

He freezes when Louis curls closer to him, burying his face in his t-shirt. His shirt feels like it’s getting damp from his tears and he swears he can hear him whispering ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again.

 

The rest of the night is a blur, it was late and they were both exhausted.

Liam is awakened by the daylight shining through his window and on to his face. He raises his hand to shield his eyes from the blindingly bright light. His clock reads ‘8.45am’.

Only when he attempts to prop himself up on his elbows does he realize his other arm is pinned down by another body. With Louis sleeping peacefully beside him, he seems a lot less of a terror than he is when he’s awake. His slender body is covered by his duvet. His sharp eyelashes are resting against his sharp cheekbones.

Liam can feel the slight blush in his cheeks as he tries to gently ease his arm out from under him but then-

“You gonna start gnawing your arm off?” Louis murmurs sleepily. He yawns and stretches out his arms before finally sitting up, averting his gaze. “So, about last night--”

“Forget about it,” Liam brushes him off and reaches out to his wheelchair but then Louis grabs his arm. “I meant what I said...about everything.” He locks his gaze on him and there’s a serious and determined expression on his face.

“Okay,” the younger boy says because he’s not ready to say anything else about it yet. He get himself out of bed, deliberately not looking back at him. “I think my parents are out so there’s not going to be any breakfast.” After losing the use of his legs, his parents had started spending extra time at work, going early and coming back late, for some much needed extra cash.

He grabs his towel from its rack and prepares to head to the bathroom. He fully expects to be alone again when he returns.

“That’s okay, we can have breakfast at mine,” Louis yawns, flopping back down on the bed.

That made Liam stop in his tracks. He looks back at the other boy lying on his bed, going back to sleep.

 

After Liam returns from his bath, the two of them head next door- though not before Louis whined about not wanting to get out of bed.

When they’re about halfway there, Liam starts to regret agreeing to this. “You know I really don’t mean to trouble your mom, I can make my own breakfast.”

“Oh, come on, Liam. We’ve already slept together, the least you could do is meet my family,” Louis teases. He can’t help feeling a little smug when Liam starts to splutter and turns bright red. “W-we didn’t--.”

The older boy puts a hand to his chest in mock offense. “And now you’re just going to toss me aside and pretend it never happened. Why, Liam, what kind of a-”

“At least I didn’t have a cry on you last night,” Liam says sarcastically, cutting him off. That shuts him up. Liam expects him to be upset but he actually looks slightly impressed. He admits that he feels a little glad that the other boy seems to be feeling better than last night.

They both let out a laugh under their breaths but it doesn’t ease his apprehension when they enter the house.

“Lou, Daisy won’t give me Elsa.” Phoebe comes running over. She’s holding a doll of Anna from the movie Frozen. Her sulk brightens into a smile when he sees Liam. “Oh, hi, Li.”

“Well, you have Anna so why can’t Daisy have Elsa?” Louis says more maturity than Liam is used to from him. Having lived next door to him for years, he’s aware that he is capable of it but it’s just that disconnect from the person he deals with himself.

“Girls, breakfast is ready,” Jay comes out of the kitchen. “Boys, are you joining us?”

“Actually, n-”

“Liam and I would love to, mum.”

 

Once they settle around the dining table, thing are a little more relaxed. Liam keeps mostly silent though out, feeling a little out of place despite the family’s efforts to get him to join their conversations.

“Are you sure you’ve had enough, Liam?” Louis’ mother asks sweetly.

“Yes, thank you. I’m fine, really,” Liam says sheepishly.

“May I ask a question?” Fizzy pipes up, looking at Liam curiously. He feels a little reluctant but he nods anyway. “What actually happened to put you into that thing?”

Liam cringes and bites his lip, looking away.

“Fizzy!” Jay rebukes her but she’s insistent on getting an answer. “But you won’t tell us the truth. The neighbours are saying that Louis is the one that did it but that can’t be true. My brother wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

The easy atmosphere is replaced by a more uncomfortable one. Louis hangs his head with shame. His other sisters are either looking at him or his mother expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“I-It was an accide-,” Liam says softly, fidgeting uncomfortably.

“I made a mistake, okay?” Louis cuts him off, scratching at the skin at the border of his cast. “I made a bad decision. I m-made a bad decision...” he says so quietly.

“Girls, why don’t you go up to your room?” His mother says as she picks up the empty plates. They obey her and carry their dishes to the kitchen before going upstairs. He looks up at her sadly and she gives him a reassuring smile and pats him on the arm.

The crushing pain in his chest he’s been feeling everything time his family has looked at him for the past few days returns. The feeling that he’s disappointed all of them. His mother had said she did forgive him even before he was released from the hospital. She told him everything will be okay and they would get through this. (Didn’t really deserve it, did you? He thinks to himself)

“Um, I should go.” Liam rubs the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable. He figures he’d better leave and let them sort things out. He turns on his wheels and prepares to leave when-

“Mind if I join you?” Louis asks quietly. Liam takes a deep breath and holds out his hand in an ‘after you’ gesture.

 

The two boys take a quiet stroll at the park nearby. They’re silence for a while before Louis finally decides to speak up. “I’m sorry about that. And I’m sorry about Matt.”

“Will you stop apologizing to me? It’s really starting to piss me off,” Liam says with exasperation.

“Well, I’m sorry about that too.” Louis looks down and smirks to himself.

“That’s it, you’re hereby _un_ forgiven,” Liam declares in a deliberately overdramatic fashion. “Let it be known that on this day...” He trails off when he realizes that the other boy is no longer walking beside him.

He looks back where Louis stopped in his track. He looks at him curiously and says hopefully, “You forgave me?”

“Yeah, I guess I do. No point in staying mad, is there?” Liam mumbles. His stomach is twisting at the way the other boy’s clear blue eyes light up. He’s expecting him to return to his wry demeanour. “Thanks,” he says sincerely instead.

They continue on with their journey. They pass by the field where Louis would usually practice with some of their friends when the school gates were locked.

He noticeably slows down to gaze longingly at the field.

“You ever going to tell me why you’ve been avoiding your favourite obsession.?” He smiles at Liam’s cheeky tone when he asks his question but he doesn’t answer straight away. He shrugs and mumbles, “I don’t know, that’s my honest answer. It’s like I feel I don’t _belong_ out here, like I don’t...”

Liam is confused at first by what he means by that. He’s always been good at the game and he can’t imagine why he wouldn’t belong. Then, he realizes that it’s his guilt that’s still eating away at him, making him feel like he doesn’t deserve to be happy anymore.

“At least, you’ve still got your friends to support you even if you don’t ever return to the field,” Liam mutters. It’s meant to be comforting but he ends up sounding bitter.

“Hey, you’ve got friends to support you too.”

He snorts at that. “They wouldn’t even look at me when they were kicking me off the basketball team-”

“Who the fuck cares about them? I meant Niall, Harry, Zayn...and me.”

“Right, it’s not like you guys haven’t been treating me differently too. Didn’t tell me about Zayn and Perrie, didn’t tell me about Harry and Taylor. Can’t have a conversation that doesn’t turn into pity about my present situations.”

He knows that’s not exactly fair; they’re just worried about him. All three of them called him earlier to ask how he was doing and if he wanted them to go kick Matt’s arse for him. Which they would have done anyway and he’s grateful for his supportive friends. He just wishes they hadn’t added something about how ‘he shouldn’t feel bad about being disabled’. He just wishes it wouldn’t all come back to that.

“Yeah, well, people have been tiptoeing around me like I murdered somebody.”

“Your friends at the pub didn’t seem to care.”

This time it’s Louis turn to snort. “Them? They’re not my friends.” He says it with such finality conveying the message that whether or not they were friends before- and Liam certainly thought so given how much he saw them hang out together in the past- he was effectively done with them now.

Neither of them know how the conversation took such a serious turn. So when Liam spots a muddy football laying in the field, probably left over by some kids, he rolls over to it.

“Well then, I guess if you think you deserve some retribution you won’t mind this then.” Liam smirks with a playful look in his eyes as he picks up the ball and chucks it at him.

“Hey,” Louis exclaims as the ball hits him in the arm and bounces back into Liam’s hands. He keeps his casted arm close to his chest to shield it.

“Dodgeball,” Liam singsongs as he chucks the ball at him again.

*Bounce*

“Stop it,” Louis laughs.

“There is no stopping in dodgeball.”

*Bounce*

This time Louis expertly catches the ball with one hand. A smirk tugs at his lips as he drops the ball to his feet.

Liam gives him a ‘come at me’ gesture.

Louis aims to the left and over Liam’s shoulder. The latter lifts himself up with one hand and reaches for the ball with the other. He manages to block it but he reaches to far and his wheelchair topples over, sending him falling to the ground.

Louis rushes over to him with concern. Gently laying a hand on his shoulder, he tries to assess any potential damage. But then, Liam grabs him by his collar and tugs him down, “Wait til everyone finds out you couldn’t get past a boy in a wheelchair,” he whispers directly in ear.

“Oh, I can’t get past a boy in a wheelchair?” Louis grins and turns him on his back. He moves his legs on either side of him in a straddle. “I can’t get past a boy in a wheelchair, can I?” he repeats before he starts tickling the other boy’s ribs.

“Stop, stop.” Liam giggles and tries to bat away his hands. When he finally does, he leans forward and places his hands on either side of Liam’s head. He looks tired but apparently not tired enough to get off him to lie on the grass next to him. Instead, choosing to hover over him.

Li’s not sure what comes over him. But as he’s staring up at the other boy; his flushed cheeks, his blue eyes and his pink lip, his mind doesn’t think, it just act. He lifts his head up to peck the other boy on the lips to which he widens his eyes in surprise.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, “I d-” He’s cut off a pair of lips crashing down on his own.

Neither of them ever thought they would ever be kissing the person they had spent so much time in a petty fight with.

They’re both a little broken but they would be by each others’ side on the road to recovery, every step of the way.


End file.
